David Allison

A number of bus services in Sunderland are set to change from next week, bosses have announced.

Stagecoach North East says it is introducing a number of changes to its routes in the city to “improve reliability and provide improved links” from Monday.

Stagecoach buses in Sunderland.

In response to customer demand, the route of bus service 4 has been revised to once again serve Durham Road and East Herrington, running up to every 10 minutes, with services 3 and 13 continuing to serve Allendale Road, in Farringdon.

In addition, to assist the reliability of evening and Sunday buses on service 3, journeys during these periods will no longer serve the Gilley Law area, and will therefore run a few minutes earlier between Farringdon and the city centre.

Alternative evening and Sunday services to Gilley Law will continue to be provided by service 13.

Chiefs say that due to a lack of customer demand, service 5 will be withdrawn from Sunday. However, most links will continue to be available by using revised Service 8, which will be diverted between the Round Robin in Hylton Road and the city centre to serve Holborn Road, High Barnes Estate and Chester Road rather than running via Hylton Road.

David Parker, commercial manager, Stagecoach North East.

In addition, services 18 and 19 will also be revised due to insufficient passenger numbers, with service 18 now operating in both directions running from city centre via Roker, Seaburn, Southwick, Royal Hospital, Hylton Road, Pennywell Shops and Grindon.

Buses will then operate a terminal loop taking in Gilley Law and Thorney Close, maintaining local links from these areas to the Royal Hospital.

Additional services are being returned so passengers are urged to visit the website for more information and to download the revised timetables.

David Parker, head of commercial at Stagecoach North East, said: “These changes have been carefully planned to further improve reliability.

“Following customer feedback, the revisions also closer match bus services with passenger travel demands, and also introduce a number of requested new links around the city, including the direct X24 express bus service to Newcastle.”

For more information about services go to www.stagecoachbus.com/regional-service-updates/north-east/sunderland.

CHANGES TO BUS SERVICES

SERVICES 5 and 8

Unfortunately, there are insufficient numbers of customers using Service 5 to allow it to continue running in its present form.

As a result, Service 5 will be withdrawn after operations on Saturday 28 January 2017.

However, most links will continue to be available by using revised Service 8, which will be diverted between Round Robin and the city centre to serve Holborn Road, High Barnes Estate and Chester Road rather than running via Hylton Road.

To reduce problems in the Greenbank Drive area, Service 8 buses will only operate this way when heading towards the city centre during Monday to Saturday daytimes.

However, customers may remain on the bus as it passes around Claxheugh Road, and alight in the Greenbank Drive area on the return trip.

Monday to Saturday Service 8 buses will be revised to terminate on John Street (not Fawcett Street), with evening and Sunday buses running via Vine Place and serving the Docks and South Hylton areas.

Customers travelling from Thorney Close and Gilley Law to the Royal Hospital may continue to make this journey by using revised Service 18, which will offer this link each hour during Monday to Saturday daytimes.

Following customer requests, alternative buses between East Herrington and the city centre will be provided by Service 4, running up to every 10 minutes.

SERVICES 10 and 11

Service 10 buses will generally depart from Grangetown one minute earlier.

Basic frequencies continue unchanged, with both services running up to every 15 minutes.

SERVICES 12 and 13

These services continue unchanged.

SERVICE 16

Peak time buses are retimed.

Overall frequencies remain unchanged, with Monday to Saturday daytime buses running up to every 10 minutes, Sunday daytime buses running up to every 20 minutes, and evening buses running every 30 minutes.

SERVICE 20

To assist operational reliability, Monday to Saturday daytime buses from Pennywell towards the city centre will be revised to operate one minute later.

The frequency of Service 20 continues unchanged, with buses at least every 10 minutes during Monday to Saturday daytimes, every 15 minutes on Sunday daytimes, and every 30 minutes during the evening.

SERVICE 23

To assist overall reliability, Monday to Saturday daytime buses will operate up to one minute earlier from Dene Estate.

Overall frequencies remain unchanged, with buses running up to every 10 minutes during Monday to Saturday daytimes, and every 30 minutes during evenings and Sundays.

NEW SERVICE X24

Following customer requests, Stagecoach is introducing a new express bus service between Sunderland and Newcastle.

This new service will be numbered X24, and will run up to every 30 minutes during Monday to Saturday daytimes.

In Sunderland City Centre, X24 will stop at the Mowbray Park end of Fawcett Street and on Holmeside.

In Newcastle it will stop at Pilgrim Street. Service X24 will call at all stops along Chester Road, before heading non-stop to Newcastle, only stopping at Gateshead High Street on the way.

Service 4: Following customer requests, the route of Service 4 will be revised to once again serve Durham Road and East Herrington.

Services 3 and 13 will continue to provide alternative facilities along Allendale Road, up to 6 trips per hour.

Most Service 4 trips will also be revised to terminate at Downhill, and will not operate across to Town End Farm. However, buses will continue to run to Town End Farm during school start and finish times, and also during early morning periods.

Services 12 and 13: These services continue unchanged.

SERVICES 18 and 19

Stagecoach says that regrettably, there are insufficient numbers of customers using these buses, and therefore these services are revised to closer meet overall levels of passenger demand.

Buses will be revised to operate as Service 18 in both directions, running from City Centre via Roker, Seaburn, Southwick, Royal Hospital, Hylton Road, Pennywell Shops and Grindon.

Buses will then operate a terminal loop taking in Gilley Law and Thorney Close, maintaining local links from these areas to the Royal Hospital.

During Monday to Friday scholars times, buses will continue to link across from Thorney Close towards Grangetown, and these special trips will be numbered Service 18A.

As well as revised routes, the timetable will be revised, with buses running hourly.

SERVICE 3

To assist the reliability of evening and Sunday buses, journeys during these periods will no longer serve Gilley Law in the evenings and these trips will consequentially also run a few minutes earlier between Farringdon and the City Centre.

Alternative evening and Sunday facilities to Gilley Law will continue to be provided by Service 13.

Most Monday to Saturday daytime buses on Service 3 will be revised to depart from Hylton Castle one minute earlier.

SERVICE 4

Following customer requests, the route of Service 4 will be revised to once again serve Durham Road and East Herrington.

Services 3 and 13 will continue to provide alternative facilities along Allendale Road, up to six trips per hour.

Most Service 4 trips will also be revised to terminate at Downhill, and will not operate across to Town End Farm.

However, buses will continue to run to Town End Farm during school start and finish times, and also during early morning periods.